Sport has many benefits, but the main goal is to win, whether the competition is with yourself or with an opponent. If one is going to win, there are three fundamental keys to being a constant champion. These three keys include The Championship Triangle. They are: 1. Intelligence, 2. Strength, 3. Skill. Simply put, the champions are smart, strong Y expert.
1. Intelligence
Champions must be smart. They must think. The fight is between the ears, that is, in the head, the mind, the brain. A warrior with strength and skill but without intelligence will lose to a more intelligent opponent. Champions win not so much by strength as by brains. An army without a command center is not an army at all. How many times in the world of competitive athletics, whether at the amateur or professional level, have players or teams lost solely to a stupid and shameless act in the final moments of the contest? The annals of sport are awash with teams that lost through lack of intelligence.
Sun Tzu, the famous Chinese warlord from 2,500 years ago, in his epic work, The Art of War declares: War is a serious concern for the state. It must be studied thoroughly. First, notice that it says that war (peaceful or otherwise, as in competitive athletics) should be studied. Studying means using the mind and all its faculties. Note that Sun Tzu does not say that war is based primarily on physical characteristics, that is, muscle and strength. It is based on the mind. Note also that it emphasizes that war should not only be studied but also thoroughly studied. Think of all the great coaches in any sport. They were thinkers first and foremost. The same goes for the big players. They use their minds, their intelligence to ensure victory, and they use it before anything else. Therefore, to be a winning coach, player or team, the laurels of the championship begin in the head with the use of an active and imaginative intelligence.
2. Force
Many athletes can equate strength to physical prowess only. Not so. What is the use of having physical dexterity and not being able to control it. Having strength means having discipline and self-control, as well as physical strength.
Force comes in three types: 1. mind, 2. body, 3. spirit. We have talked about the mind. Body strength involves not only muscular strength, but also physical endurance and stamina. How many contests were lost in the final phase of a game because one team was in better shape than another? A team can have great athletes, but if they are not well conditioned, they will not be consistent winners. Lastly, players must have strength of spirit, an indomitable will that refuses to die, refuses to be defeated, refuses to give in under the pressure of the contest. A person may have a strong body and mind, but if his spirit is weak, he will eventually collapse. Similarly, an athlete may have a strong will and mind, but if their body does not have the physical strength to withstand competition, they may be preyed upon by an opponent who is physically stronger and better conditioned. Therefore, when it comes to strength, the Intelligence, Strength, and Ability Championship Triangle has an internal strength triangle of body, mind, and will.
Another aspect of strength is the control of one’s emotions. Once again, how many championships have both amateurs and professionals lost because they were too weak to control their emotions and “lost control”, self-control and play, by performing some idiotic action that guaranteed their demise. One must have passion and fire to be a champion, but that passion and fire must be controlled. If players don’t control themselves and coaches don’t train their players to control their emotions, everyone is heading for defeat. Warriors contain and control their emotions in the heat of battle … until the end of the battle because they know that if they lose control, they will lose the fight.
3. Skill
It goes without saying that without the skills pertaining to a particular sport, one cannot even play it, let alone win. Champions must have skills. Such skills require time, effort, discipline, control, blood, sweat, tears, struggle, and a tireless will to perfect yourself for championship status in order to separate yourself from the “winners too” and “runners-up.” Those abilities are not simply technical abilities, but also include The Championship Triangle’s mental and physical abilities.
Resume
The Championship Triangle consists of 1. intelligence, 2. strength, 3. skill. In other words, the champions must be smart, strong Y expert. These three components must work together in harmony. Two are not enough to create victory. Coaches and players alike must imbue them … until the very end. Champions exude these three characteristics at the highest level and all the rest, well, they are just the rest, at least until they also imbue these three critical components of the ultimate winner. In any sport, there is only one true champion for a season. To appease people’s sensibilities, some people say that everyone is a champion just because they competed. Such feelings not only diminish and disrespect those who truly stand out and are number one in their sport, but also reflect a growing illusion that all competitors are champions. Not so. Champions are those individuals and teams whose skill and ability to execute surpass all other competitors. This is how it is and this is how it should be. To do less, to be less, is to deny and ignore what it is to be a true champion.
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